It's just
by Gibby6247
Summary: Charlie seems to have a stalker who nearly kills him with their first token of "love". Can Don and his team find out who it is before they decide to meet with Charlie? Aka a typical hurt Charlie slightly over protective Don story. No spoilers (I've only seen up to season three anyway). Formerly "It's just Chocolate". Enjoy and please review.
1. It's just Chocolate

**AN: This is my first fanfic of any kind so please review. I have no beta, sorry about any grammar or spelling mistakes (fee free to point them out in reviews, along with the grammar rule I screwed up). This is a basic fic of hurt Charlie and slight over protective Don. No spoilers**

Charlie arrived at CalSci around 10am to meet Don in his office. While they usually meet at their dad's house to go over case files, Charlie had an 11am class and wanted to be able to go there directly after meeting with Don. They younger Eppes brother really enjoys consulting with the FBI. An overprotective Don was the only downfall of the two spending more time together. Don's protectiveness was bad enough in high school, when the older brother didn't even want him around. Now Don has started to cross the line. Not only is Charlie not allowed to go to crime scenes to collect data, he is also kept out of the office during particularly nasty cases and whenever a suspect is brought in. Even on the rare occasions where he can go to a crime scene he always has to wear a vest and has two agents watching him. Charlie understands why Don is doing this, and he does appreciate it, but every now and then he just wishes his older brother would lay off a little.

Shaking his head, Charlie cleared his mind and began thinking about what Don said over the phone. The older Eppes had told him to expect two large boxes of files to shift through for data. Knowing he would need a lot of space to work, Charlie locked up his bike and headed to his office to clear off his desk. Dressed in his usual fashion, a white shirt and a pair of khakis, Charlie walked down the hall towards his office. As he approached the door he noticed a small wrapped box on the floor with what appeared to be a piece of paper on top. Upon closer examination, bending down to grab the box, the younger Eppes discovered it was a note written on a standard piece of notebook paper. The paper was folded in half with Charlie written on it in nice, bold penmanship. Knowing Don would be there any minute, he grabbed the box and note the unlocked his office door.

The office was in it's usual state of unorganization. With boxes pilled in some corners and stacks of papers or books on nearly every surface, he knew he had to clear some area to put Don's work. He immediately set his bag, and the mysterious present, down on a pile of books then started clearing off his desk. After a few minutes he deemed there was a decent sized space to work on whatever Don was bringing over. Charlie sat down in his chair only to remember the box and get up to grab it. With the box in hand he sat back down to inspect the note. It read:

 **Charlie**

 _ **Thanks for all the help , I really appreciate it. To let you know how much I love you I brought you a small gift. It's imported from Germany and I made sure to wrap it in your favorite color.**_

 _ **Love,**_

 _ **Your Secret Admirer**_

Charlie pulled the wrapping paper, which actually was his favorite color, off the box to find a very expensive looking box of chocolates. __Knowing Don would stop him from eating them as soon as he arrives, and being hungry from missing breakfast that morning, the younger Eppes selected two pieces at random and shoved one in his mouth. It really was delicious chocolate. He cleared his throat and just shoved the second piece in his mouth when Don finally arrived.

"Hey sorry I'm late Charlie, I know you have a class soon. There was a hold up on a few of the files I thought you would need." Don walked over to the desk then placed two boxes of files down next to the chocolate.

Charlie coughed around the chocolate in his mouth and greeted his brother "It's no problem Don. So what do you need me to look at?"

Don sighed, "Well hold on, swallow what's in your mouth first so you don't choke on it. Where did you get these chocolates anyway? Amita?"

"No" cough, cough "They were sitting in front of the door when I got here from my 'secret admirer'" He handed Don the note, mentally preparing for him to flip out.

"What the hell Charlie?! Why would you eat that?"

Charlie rolled his eyes, "Come on Don, it's just chocolate. I even checked the package to make sure none of them have walnuts in it. And I gave you the letter." he interrupted himself by coughing again. When the coughing fit passed he cleared his throat. "Besides it's probably just from an overzealous student or something."

While listening to Charlie talk, and more importantly cough, Don found the trash can then threw out the reaming chocolates but kept the box, wrapping and note just in case (he's FBI after all). "You know you shouldn't eat chocolate other people brought you because of you SEVERE allergy to walnuts. Especially not if they're imported from another country! You don't know their practices, most of other countries don't require chocolate makers to tell you about cross contamination in factories." The older Eppes was too caught up in his rant to notice Charlie's face slowly becoming red as the coughing continued.

"Don" Charlie wheezed out.

Don turned to him alarmed. Noting his red complexion, lack of oxygen and sweating, he eased him out of his chair and down to the floor. Don grasped him by his shoulders.

"Charlie, listen to me! You need to calm down, you've been through this before and you know freaking out makes it worse. Where's your epi pen?! You have to tell me I don't know where it's in here!"

While still struggling to breathe, his throat closing up faster and faster, Charlie weakly gestured to his desk. Don quickly laid him back down on the floor then began riffling through the desk for the epi pen. Just as he opened the top drawer, Amita entered the office.

Taking note of Charlie laying on the ground struggling to breathe and Don looking frantic, she immediately ran to Charlie side worried.

"Don, what's going on?!"

"Amita, thank God. Call 911 now! Tell them there's an adult male suffering from anaphylactic shock due to walnuts in chocolate. Then go outside and lead them here."

She jerkily nodded her head, whipped out her cell and called EMS. While Don had been giving here instructions he was still searching for the epi pen. Cursing when he still couldn't find it he moved on to the last drawer, praying to God it was in there. After moving a bunch of papers, Don finally found the pen then turned back to Charlie.

Naturally, Charlie's condition had gotten worse. Don had been hoping he would never need to give his younger brother an epi pen injection to save his life again, but Charlie is a trouble magnet. He uncapped the pen, whispered reassuring words to an unconscious Charlie, then jammed the pen into Charlie's thigh. The effects weren't immediate but it was fairly fast. After a few minutes of just waiting there, the younger Eppes brother's breathing steadied out and he pried his eyes open.

"Hey"

"Hey",

"Yeah, just so you know, you're never eating chocolate again."

Charlie chuckled lightly, "Yeah, I figured that as soon as I couldn't stop coughing."

As he finished that sentence, Amita returned with two EMS workers.

Don addressed them first, '"I gave him his epi pen about two minutes ago. He just woke up."

The EMTs checked over Charlie then loaded him up on a stretcher.

"Hey Don, you're coming right?" Charlie asked sleepily.

"Yeah buddy, of course."

Before leaving the office, Don sent a quick text to David telling him the situation and asking him to come over to bag the note, box and wrapping paper as evidence. He then asked Amita to inform Charlie's 11am class that there was a medical emergency so class is canceled. After also, texting their dad about the situation he jogged to catch up to the EMTs.

Don caught up to the EMTs just after they loaded Charlie into the ambulance. As he sat beside Charlie and started at him as he lied there on a gurney, he vowed to find whoever sent him the chocolates. While they may not trying to kill him, his walnut allergy wasn't very well known, Charlie nearly died. At the very least his younger brother seems to have a budding stalker, if the note was anything to go by. No one's going to hurt his brother, on purpose or by accident, without dire consequences while he is physically able to protect him, even if it was just a love struck student.


	2. It's just Flowers

**AN I decided to continue for a few more chapters. Thanks for reviewing and for reminding of my tenses mistake (it's not the first time I've done that). I'm changing the name of this story to "It's just..." after this chapter. I tried to proof read this one a little better. Please review**

The ride to the hospital was short, even without the emergency lights on. Charlie was immediately whisked off past a pair of double doors marked employees only. Don glanced around the dull hospital waiting room then sat down in one of their uncomfortable looking plastic chairs. After five minutes of sitting there wondering if Charlie was okay, Allan finally arrived at the ER doors. He looked, understandably, frantic and quickly found Don.

"Donnie! What happened? Where's Charlie? You were really vague over the phone?"

The older Eppes son sighed then ran his hand over his face "I don't know dad. No one has come out yet to tell me his condition."

Almost as soon as he finished speaking a young doctor came into the room requesting the family of Charlie Eppes. Allan and Don went up to the doctor and were lead to another smaller waiting area.

"Hello. My name is Dr. Bridger, I was the ER doctor assigned to Charlie. First off I want to ensure you Charlie is fine. You have nothing to worry about." Allan sagged with relief. "I was told by the EMTs that Charlie ate some chocolate with traces of walnuts in it." Don nodded in confirmation. "While there seemed to be quite a bit of walnuts in the chocolate, he was given his epi pen in time. We do want to keep him over night for observation because he was unconscious for a few minutes. It's not uncommon for that to happen, receiving epinephrine does make one tired, but we're just making sure the epinephrine and walnuts are out of his system."

"Thank you so much for the news, and for taking care of my brother."

"It's no problem. Charlie is already set up in a room. I can take you there now if you like?"

Allan and Don stood simultaneously then Don gestured for Dr. Bridger to lead the way.

"I have to warn you, he will be sluggish. As i mentioned before an epi injection usually makes people tired. If you notice he seems to have trouble breathing or swallowing call a nurse immediately, there could still be traces of walnuts in his system." They reached the entrance of Charlie's room. "Tomorrow morning I go back to my regular shift so there will be a different ER doctor to check him over before he is discharged. I've heard about your brother, sometimes I go to his lectures, I've always been interested in math. I'm sorry this happened to him. I wish him a speedy recovery." He patted Allan and Don on the shoulder before turning away to attend to his other patients.

The other two Eppes walked into to Charlie's room and kept vigil until he woke up. They even dozed off, after about an half hour, knowing Charlie would make a full recovery.

 **A month Later**

It was early afternoon in LA and beautiful outside. Don, who was wearing his usual attire, was on his way over to his dad's house to take Charlie out to lunch. The younger Eppes had recently helped them close a major case. Unfortunately, the case involved children, making it a priority, and the main suspect was a pretty nasty guy. Charlie, as usual, provided really valuable insight on where the suspect was most likely hiding. The equation he came up with led the team to find the suspect within two hours. Don was really grateful for all of the help and wanted to show Charlie to taking him to one of his favorite diners.

He walked up the pathway to the front door. A large bouquet of flowers, roses no less, made him stop short. They were laid carefully on the porch in front of the door. In addition what looked like two dozen roses there was a note attached, with the name Charlie written in bold letters. Don immediately pulled out his cell phone to take pictures, just in case. This would be the second time Charlie received a random gift and the first time nearly killed him. After taking varoius pictures, Don finally picked up the bouquet and entered the house.

"Charlie?! Hey Charlie?!"

Charlie, dressed in jeans and an old t shirt, appeared from the kitchen. "Hey Don, what's up?" He noted the flowers in his older brother's hands "Did someone buy you flowers?"

Don shrugged then sighed "Nah Charlie, these are for you." The older Eppes brother stretched his hand out to give a confused looking Charlie the flowers.

"Uh, why would someone buy me roses?"

"I don't know, read the card."

Charlie pulled the ribbon off the flowers to grab the card.

"Okay, it says:

 **Charlie**

 **I cannot begin to explain how sorry I am about what happened last month. Since then I have taken precautions. I learned everything I could about you to make sure something like that never happens again. I swear it was a mistake. I still love you.**

 **Love,**

 **Your Secret Admirer**

Charlie paled a little as he read the letter. What kind of precautions were they talking about? Where they watching him or something? Don saw Charlie's expression but also knew he would try to play it off. The younger Eppes placed the card down, chuckled nervously, then walked over to the trash and threw out the roses. While his back was turned, Don grabbed the note with a napkin, made sure it was covered, and slipped it into his pocket.

"Look Don, I know what you're going to say but it's nothing to be worried about."

"Nothing to worry about! Charlie they delivered these to the house! How do they know the address? And what do the mean they learned everything about you?! They definitely a stalker with some serious problems. You could be being watched!"

The younger Eppes brother held his hands up in a placating manner, "Yeah, well there's no proof someone is watching me. You've told me before that nothing can be done without evidence. Besides it's just-"

Don cut him off before he could continue, "Don't you say 'it's just flowers'! Last month you said 'it's just chocolates', ended up nearly dying and then spending a night in the ER."

"Alright fine. But you have my back so what do I have to worry about." Charlie smiled shyly hoping, his words calmed Don down.

The older Eppes brother huffed, "Fine, but if you get anything else, and I mean anything, you tell me about it. Or if you fell something is off, like someone is following you, you let me know. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I understand."

"Good." Don smiled then ruffled Charlie's hair, he knows that always annoys Charlie. "Now let's go. I'm taking you out to lunch because of all the help you gave us on the last case."

Charlie beamed, and tried to fix his hair "Great. I was just looking for something for lunch. Where are we going?"

"You'll fine out when we get there."

Even after catching the stalker, Don knew it would always be in the back of his mind. He will protect Charlie from whoever is doing this, but at that moment he just wanted to get his brother's mind off of it. The younger Eppes brother may seem to be taking it lightly but Don knows him. He knows internally the younger Eppes is running statistics, which aren't in his favor, and trying hard not to show he is worried. But for that moment, both brothers left the house, smiling and joking with one another, and tried to temporarily forget about the stalker.


	3. It's just a concert ticket

**AN: Okay first thanks again for reviewing and I am changing the name to "It's just...". As always Enjoy and Please Review**

Lunch at Charlie's favorite diner went well. The brothers were able to relax and have a good time and luckily not much happened the following week. Charlie wasn't allowed to go by the FBI offices, due to a slightly disturbing case Don didn't want him around. The younger Eppes wasn't bothered by it in the slightest. During the week he was able to spend more time with Amita, and begin working up the initial stages of a new theory. All in all the week went pretty well. Unfortunately, it took a turn for the worse on Tuesday.

 **Tuesday**

The curly haired mathematician had woken up early that morning. He needed to finish grading papers for his classes and make a trip to sporting goods store. Yesterday the two Eppes brothers made plans to go hiking at the end of the week. They both enjoy hiking every once in a while, but Charlie hasn't brought new gear recently. While this wasn't a problem for Charlie, his older brother insisted he go out to buy new boots and a backpack. The youngest Eppes knew he would never get away with using his older equipment, hence waking up early to make sure he had time to shop.

The day had gone pretty well so far. Charlie was up, dressed in a button down shirt and khakis, and had eaten by 9am. He was headed over to CalSci but never made it past the front yard. Instead of putting his bike away the previous night, the curly haired mathematician simply locked it up in front of the house. As he went to unlock it he noticed an envelope, taped to his bike seat, with familiar penmanship on it. He was tempted to rip it off and toss it in the trash, but then remembered his promise to Don so instead he pulled out his cell to tell Don what happened.

"Eppes"

"Hey Don, it's Charlie."

"Hey Charlie. What's up? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, no everything's fine. It's just you told me to tell you if I got another gift and I-"

"Don't move. I'll be right there."

"But Don, you didn't even let me finish. Hello? Don?"

Charlie shook his head annoyed because not only did Don cut him off, he also hung up on him. The youngest Eppes knew Don would freak out if he left to go to CalSci regardless of the note. Instead of causing his brother to panic, the mathematician went back into the house to wait for his brother.

Don arrived at the house after about ten minutes. He didn't look outwardly frantic but the worry could be seen in his eyes. Charlie, who had been waiting by the window for Don, left he house to meet the elder Eppes brother by the bike.

"Have you touched anything?"

"No. I didn't know if you would want to take pictures or anything."

Don patted him on the shoulder, "That's good. I'm going to take some pictures then you can open it." He pulled out his cell phone and made sure to take pictures of the envelope from various angles. When given the okay, Charlie removed the envelope from the bike then opened it. It read:

 **Charlie**

 _ **I know it's only been a week but I know you really love this band. When I saw they were coming to LA on Saturday I just had to get you a ticket. I wish we could go together but I have a previous commitment that day. I hope you have a good time.**_

 ** _Love,_**

 ** _Your Secret Admirer_**

 ** _PS. Maybe we can meet up soon_**

Don placed his hands on his hips then shook his head, "This is not good Charlie. You need to keep an extra eye out. Only go to CalSci, the office or here. No unnecessary trips and I'm giving you a ride everywhere, no more riding your bike."

While he was talking, Charlie's face had lost some of it's color. The younger Eppes took a few deep breathes to calm himself. He didn't want to listen to Don's restrictions but knew they were necessary now. For goodness sake this stalker now wanted to meet him.

The mathematician placed the note back on the seat and stared at it, "Yeah, you're right Don. I'll uh defiantly be keeping a low profile now." The elder brother placed his hand on the younger's shoulder.

"I know you're freaked out Charlie but we're going to catch them. Whoever is doing this won't be meeting you if I can help it. And David, Colby and Megan are helping me to."

Charlie looked up hopefully, "Yeah?"

The older brother removed his hand and replied,"Yes, of course. I told them about it immediately, collected all the notes, and took pictures. I mean the case isn't official, because legally we can't do anything until the stalker threatens you in some way. They all decided to help me after work or during breaks. Megan has even been profiling this stalker based off of the notes. We've even made some headway." Don pulled an evidence bag and a pair of gloves out of his pocket. The FBI agent put on the gloves then put the note, envelope and ticket into the bag. Normally the items would be placed in separate evidence bags, but in his haste to get to the house Don had only grabbed one bag and some gloves.

"Like what?"

"Well because of the language used in the notes Megan says the stalker is a woman. The apology after you going to the hospital means she wasn't trying to hurt you. We can also say the stalker was out of town when you ate the chocolate, why else would they wait a month before sending you another gift saying she was sorry. See, we do have some information and, like I said before, we will catch them."

The Eppes brothers walked back to the front door. After the whole conversation, there was an unspoken agreement that Don driving Charlie around would start right now. Charlie disappeared into the house briefly to grab his stuff then they headed to Don's car, after locking the doors of course. As they walked to the car, Don began thinking about their dad and pulled out his phone. He sent a short text to Allan to let him know what had happened, and where Charlie would be. Their father was out golfing with a buddy, the first time he had left the house to have fun since Charlie went to the hospital.

The Eppes father was understandably worried about his youngest. To him, Charlie who never paid much attention to the outside world, besides math, would always need someone to look out for him. He had been staying home more to make sure doors and windows were locked, nobody out of the ordinary hung out on their street and having Charlie check in with him after leaving the house. Basically, Allan was being a little paranoid for Charlie. As he always reminds Don, there is a fine line between being paranoid for him and for suffocating him. After not leaving the house for so long Don to their dad to take his own advice. Once he finished informng Alan, Don stopped thinking about the past month and turned his attention back to the present.

They had reached Don's car and were on the way to CalSci. The short ride was filled with conversation about their hiking trip Saturday, all talk of the stalker unanimously avoided. When they arrived at the college, Charlie got out of the car with a smirk. He remember how Don had cut him off on the phone, and hung up on him, and he had a way to get back at him for it. While they both know it's a serious situation, Charlie also knew how much this would annoy his brother.

"You know Don, we should be grateful." He stood outside of the passenger side door. "It could have been worse, after all it's just a concert ticket."


	4. It's just plain scary now

**AN:As always enjoy and review**

Once again, about a week passed before the next "gift". The Eppes brothers enjoyed their hike and were completely exhausted the next day. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on who's answering, the week passed uneventfully. The only excitement, besides the stalker of course, was Charlie helping Don briefly on a case. Charlie had been more cautions, he made sure to check his surroundings frequently, and had even started remembering to lock the doors and windows. The only problem Don could see was Charlie becoming absorbed in his math with his headphones on, but you can't change Charlie. The elder Eppes brother was glad the mathematician was being more cautious. Despite knowing the behavior on stalkers, Don still hoped the stalker would just stop and find someone else, but he knew wasn't likely to happen. Regrettably he was right.

On Thursday, nine days after the previous gift, Charlie rang Don on his cell again asking him to come to the office. The FBI agent arrived as soon as he could with evidence bags and gloves. He met Charlie outside of his office. The mathematician was standing, along with a concerned Amita and Larry, clutching his messenger bag strap. Don stood there staring at the manila envelope tapped to the office door. Up until this point, the envelopes had bee plain white and small, the standard letter size. The elder Eppes brother pulled out a pair of gloves, put them on, then removed the envelope from the door. He instructed Charlie to open the office so they could go inside and inspect the "gift".

Charlie, Amita, and Larry gathered around Charlie's surprisingly cleared desk and waited for Don to open the package. The envelope contained two things, a photo and what seemed to be an essay or long letter. The group glanced at each other in confusion, well at least until Don showed them the photo. His face had paled when he looked at the photo before he turned it around to show the others. When shown the picture, Charlie knew exactly why Don had grown pale. It was a picture of the curly haired mathematician taken last week at a restaurant. The Eppes brothers recognized the background from when they ate lunch together. Larry and Amita glanced at the photo in shock and worry before Don placed it in an evidence bag. Then he began to read the two and a half paged letter out loud:

 **Charlie**

 _ **I adapted a song to fit you. It took a while but I need to make sure you know how special you are to me.**_

The FBI agent stopped there. Charlie was already freaking out about the photo and now there was an essay about him. Instead of continuing, and worrying the young mathematician even more, Don stopped the placed then essay in an evidence bag. The youngest Eppes looked up at him in confusion.

"What are you doing Don? Read the letter."

Before Don could respond, Larry spoke up, "Do you really think that's a good idea Charles. I mean think about it. This woman, who is clearly unstable to think stalking someone is the best way to win their affection, has probably put some things in the letter you don't want to hear."

"I agree with Larry." Amita leaned against the desk and turned to here right to face Charlie, "Everyone is already worried and freaked out. I really don't think reading this letter will help anything and why waste the time doing it anyway."

Don looked to his left to nod at Amita and Larry, "They're right Charlie, you shouldn't have to read this letter and I'm not even going to read it."

The youngest Eppes frowned at Don, "If you don't read it how are you going to find her?"

"I'm not sure what crazy things she may have put in this letter but I do know I probably won't be able to stay objective reading this. Heck, if the FBI legitimately had this case there's no way I would be on it. I'm going to head back to the office and have Megan go over it for me. Though to be honest, as much time as you spend around the office everyone's going to have trouble being objective." Don shrugged as he was talking and gathered the evidence bags. "Did you see anyone lurking by your office or notice anyone following you?"

Charlie's shoulders slumped, "Not at all. We had just left and were on our way to lunch. Halfway there I noticed I left some notes I wanted to go over in my office so we went back."

Amita interjected, "We couldn't have been gone more than a few minutes."

"When we got back, we saw the manila envelope on the door so I called you."

Don nodded his head, "And there's no cameras over here right?"

"No. There really should be but nothing has every happened, besides what's happening to Charles now, for any faculty members to ask for them."

"Alright well I'm going to take these back to the office and have them checked over for fingerprints. You guys should get back to lunch. Be cautious, obviously, but try to stick to your normal routine."

Charlie nodded apprehensively and they filed out of his office. After ensuring the door was locked, they walked down the corridor and exited the building. Larry and Amita stood by the picnic benches, to the left of the parking lot, to give the brothers a moment. As they stood there, watching the Eppes brothers talk, Amita mentioned what a relief it was that Charlie didn't insist on reading the letter. Larry agreed with her and said he was also glad Don had taken it so Charles wouldn't have a chance to change his mind. They finished up their conversation as Charlie began approaching them.

"Don's headed back now?" Amita asked.

"Yeah, I invited him to lunch but he said he wants to check over the "gift" as soon as possible."

Larry was about to respond when he noticed fast movement over Charlie's shoulder. His eyes widened in alarm as he realized what he was looking at. Amita moved for a better view of the commotion and Charlie turned around just in time to see the end result. A small black car was speeding out of the parking lot, after it narrowly avoided hitting a few CalSci students, in the lane next to Don's car. Instead of slowing down to come to a rest at the red light, the black car turns sharply and rams into the driver side of Don's car then promptly takes off.

Charlie stood in shock. He couldn't believe what had just happened. The drivers side of the FBI agent's car was warped and smashed in. The horn was blaring, everything else was silent as people stood frozen in disbelief. As if at once, panic set in and there was a sudden rush of noise. Someone began shouting out orders, most likely a security guard, and a few volunteers began approaching the vehicle. Charlie couldn't tell what had happened to Don from where he stood, he was too far away, but he began running over to the car.

The car was surrounded by five college students and a security officer. On the opposite side of the street, where the parking lot to CalSci was, another student was on the phone with EMS and explained what he saw. When Charlie was finally close enough to see, he saw his older brother slumped over in the front seat, head against the steering wheel, with a trickle of blood on his forehead. The curly haired mathematician had to force his way past a few of the student volunteers, they were trying to keep people away for safety reasons. Once someone realized Charlie was his brother, Don was becoming more well known around the CalSci campus, he was let through to the car but Amita and Larry were forced to stay behind.

Charlie began to frantically call Don's name to wake him up. After a few unsuccessful tries, the FBI agent began to stir at the sound of his name. The youngest Eppes calmed down significantly after Don assured him he was okay, well besides a gash on his head and soreness in his right arm. EMS was still five minutes out at this point. Instead of waiting for them, Don told everyone he was okay to move out of the car via the passenger side door. He made fairly quick work of leaving the car then let himself be dragged by Charlie to the opposite side of the street. In all honesty, Don was feeling a dizzy so he stiffly sat down on the curb to wait for the ambulance. The younger Eppes brother sat down on Don's left then began looking over his brother.

"What happened?!" Charlie titled Don's head to inspect the gash.

He winced the shrugged, "No idea. I was just approaching the light when another car drove up beside me the smashed into my car. I doubt it was an accident, the windows were tinted and I heard one of the kids who were watching say the car had no licenses plates."

The FBI swatted Charlie's hand away, which was now trying to inspect the damage on his right arm, "Charlie, really I'm fine. At most I have a concussion. I swear the hospital won't even make me stay over night. "

Charlie sat back against the curb. He fixed his gaze on the probably ruined car. "Who do you think it was?"

His question made Don pause. The older brother looked at Charlie, who was still staring at the car. They both tuned out the approaching sirens and had a small mental conversation without even looking at each other.

Don sighed, "It probably was. Don't worry though, now we have cause to make this an official investigation so we can dedicate all our time to it. You need Amita to cover your classes though. You're not coming back here till she's caught."

"Why would she do that though?" Charlie turned his gaze to his brother questioningly.

"I don't know Charlie. The only thing I could think of is that I won't let you read the letter but how could she even know that."

"Maybe she over heard us talking?"

Don scoffed, "Yeah or maybe your office is bugged. Either way, you aren't going back until we solve this."

Two EMS workers approached them to look at Don. He readily agreed to go to the hospital, knowing Charlie and Allan would just worry if he didn't. The only condition being that Charlie doesn't come to the hospital and gets a ride home from an on scene officer. Before being driven away in the ambulance, Don asked for a moment with Charlie.

"Hey Don, what's up? I thought you agreed to go to the hospital?"

"I did, don't worry. I just wanted to make sure you had an officer taking you home."

Charlie pointed to a young officer, "Yeah, he agreed to be my ride. You don't have to worry about it Don. I'll be careful. I mean this whole thing was creepy before but now it's-well this whole thing, it's just plain scary now."

"I know Charlie but like I said before, I'll handle it."


	5. It's just a student

**AN: This was almost the final chapter but I decided to break it up last minute. Thanks as always for reviewing. The final chapter will be up on Friday. Please enjoy and review.**

Charlie began ruining calculations in his mind before the young officer drove him home. By the time he reached his house he was convinced, mathematically anyway, that his stalker was the one who rammed into Don's car. The younger Epees stiffly got out of the police cruiser and entered the house. He left the door unlocked for Amita and Larry knowing they would come as soon they could. After a few minutes of pacing restlessly, his two friends finally arrived.

"Charles, how are holding up? Is your brother okay?" They moved towards the living room couch then sat down.

"Uh yeah. Don's fine or will be anyway." He laughed worriedly, "He says they'll even let him go home after a few hours."

Amita, who was sitting to his left, placed her hand on his shoulder, "Well that's good Charlie. We would have been here sooner but the police wanted to know if we saw anything. Did you contact your dad yet?"

The curly haired young man stood and began to pace once again, "No not yet. Don said he wants to call himself so dad doesn't worry too much." He ran his hand through his hair, "I just don't understand why she would do this."

Larry and Amita exchanged confused glances, "Why who would do what Charles?"

He turned back towards them, "I ran the calculations and the person who rammed Don's car was defiantly the stalker. However, she hasn't hurt anyone" He winced, remembering the chocolate incident, then continued, "well not purposefully anyway. Why start now?"

"You do have a point Charlie. Why would she suddenly decide to hurt Don?"

"The only thing I can think of is the letter, or essay. She could have found out that Don wouldn't let me read it. We all know once the FBI collects it as evidence I won't be able to read it until the case is closed and she's caught. She would have had to been watching to know though."

Amita went wide eyed then stood abruptly. She turned to face Larry before speaking, "Larry! Remember when we were outside waiting for Charlie, when he was talking to Don. We were standing by the picnic tables. They only person close enough to hear us was a woman. She looked very concentrated on her work though so we started talking about what had just happened. We mentioned about the letter and how we were glad Charlie couldn't read it." She paused and waited for a nod from Larry before continuing. "Well as soon as we finished, when Charlie began walking over to us, she got up and left looking upset. Now there's no way to be sure but Charlie that may have been your stalker!"

"What did she look like?!"

Amita sighed at his question, "I didn't look to closely so I don't have a great description. She had shoulder length blonde hair and looked to be maybe my high. I can't be completely sure about the height. She was wearing a long sleeved shirt and jeans. The shirt was purple I think."

Suddenly, the youngest Eppes surged forward and hugged Amtia, "That's great Amita. They may be able to catch her with your description. Someone else had to see something to either back up or dismiss your claim."

Larry stood then took out his phone, "I'll call Megan and let her know of this new development. She's probably on scene already so she can begin questioning people there.

The call to Megan was quick. After calling Charlie reluctantly agreed to join them in the kitchen for the lunch they missed. His stomach was still in knots from seeing Don's car so he only managed half a sandwich. Luckily for Charlie, he didn't have to ask Amita and Larry to stay until his dad or Don arrived. They settled back into the living room to watch a movie.

Don rang the doorbell around 4pm, he has a key but didn't want to shock anyone by just walking in. The trio of friends came out of the kitchen where they had just finished making a snack.

"Hey Don. The doctors really did clear you to go home?"

"Yes Charlie, I told you they would. I've had a concussion before you know, and it was worse than this one." The elder Eppes brother took of his jacket then sat down in the living room. "I don't even need to be woken up more than twice tonight."

Amita, Larry and Charlie joined him in the living room. Amtia filled him in on the developments, meaning the woman she remembered, and told him that Megan was on scene while David and Colby followed up from the office. They briefly discussed how it would be easier to find the woman if there were witnesses who saw her get into the car. After their short discussion Amita and Larry left to get their bags they left in their offices when trying to go to lunch earlier.

The youngest Eppes retreated to his room. He missed his office hours today and wanted to see if any students had tried to contact him for help. There were also some calculations he wanted to go over as well as a few test that need to be graded. He left his older brother in the living room downstairs. Don was watching a game while waiting for Megan, David or Colby to call him with an update.

Around 5pm, Charlie had just finished grading the papers. He decided to check his emails before working on the calculations. After shifting through the emails from other professors, consultant jobs, and a few students thanking him, Charlie came across an email from a student he knew. The students name was Chris Luther. Chris always asked questions in class and seemed to be a hard worker. He had even shown up to Charlie's office a few times for help with his calculations, overall Charlie liked his dedication. The email stated:

 **Prof Eppes,**

 **Hey it's Chris from your MW class. I need help with some calculations. Your office was locked during your office hours. Is there any chance we can meet up today? I'm really stressing about this assignment and it's due tomorrow morning.**

 **Thanks,**

 **Chris Luther**

Charlie bit his lip. He knew Don would flip if he told Chris he could come over. At the same time, Chris was a good kid who seemed to really need his help on whatever assignment he is working on. The curly haired mathematician hesitated briefly before emailing Chris back saying he could stop by the house. Now all he had to do was tell Don.

His older brother was laying on the couch watching something on tv. Charlie moved from the stairway to enter the living room.

"Hey Don. So before you get mad hear me out."

Don slowly moved into a sitting position on the couch. The elder Eppes had a frown on his face and was staring at Charlie, "What did you do Charlie?"

"Nothing! Well not really anyway. It's just, there's this student in my class and he's a good kid, determined. Earlier he emailed me because he's freaking out about an assignment for another class that's due tomorrow and needs help. My office was closed during my office hours so he wanted to know if we can meet up. I told him he could stop by and he already replied saying he's on his way."

Don looked on the verge of being furious, "Charlie! You are being stalked you can't invite people over the house! How do you know he doesn't have something to do with it. Have you even met this kid before?"

"Calm down Don! It's just a student! And yes I have met him before. He's come by the office a few times for help and he asks questions during class." Charlie waved his hand around in frustration, "Besides Megan said the stalker is a woman who is working alone. She wouldn't have asked a random student of mine to help him stalk me."

Before they could continue their argument, the front door opened. Allan walked in, keys in one hand and a bag of takeout in the other. He set the bag down in the living room before addressing his two sons.

"What are you two arguing about now? You shouldn't be getting worked up Donnie. I talked to the doctor and while you were lucky you should also be taking it easy."

Don scoffed, "Look dad I'm fine. Charlie here is the one who needs to see a doctor." Allan turned to Charlie questioningly.

"Don's just mad because I told a student, who I've met before, that he could come over so I could help him on his assignment."

"Charlie I have to agree with Donnie on this one. Inviting a student over, even one you know, isn't a good idea."

"It's too late now dad. He already emailed me back saying he's on the way."

Allan sighed and rubbed his eyes. Before he could begin speaking again the doorbell rang. "Sit down next to Don Charlie and eat your dinner, I brought takeout on my way back. I'll get the door to let your student in." He walked out of the living room into the entrance of the house.

The Eppes brothers opened the takeout bag. They pulled out their dishes then the forks and began eating. After the first forkful, Allan reentered the room. The brothers looked up at him as he entered. They noted his pale face and raised hands, Don jumped into action. He stood abruptly then grabbed his gun off of the coffee table. Before he could raise it, their father was pushed further into the room and a blonde woman moved to the side of him.

"I would put that gun down if I were you agent." She spat the word agent as if something horrible was inside of her mouth. As she moved into full view, Charlie also jumped to his feet when he saw the gun now pointed at their father's head. Don held up his hands then placed the gun back down on the table. Don noticed Charlie making startled noises and gasps, almost as if he was trying to force himself to speak. The elder Eppes brother turned to Charlie in confusion. After a minute of silence so tense you could cut it with a knife, Charlie finally found the power to speak again.

"Amanda?!"

 **AN: Yeah sorry for the cliffhanger. It wasn't planned but seemed like a right way to end this chapter. It's only two days until I have the next chapter up anyway, so it isn't too bad.**


	6. It's just about over now

**AN: Sorry for the delay and I'm so sorry about the spelling mistakes last chapter (thanks Starfishyeti for calling me out on it). This is the last chapter and the longest one yet (I think twice the size of the others). Special thanks to everyone who's stuck with me so far and to anyone who reviewed. As always Enjoy and Review**

Amanda is a slender woman who has shoulder length blonde hair and stands about 5'6". She had a wild look in her eyes. Both hands were gripping the gun while pointing it at Allan's head.

"Amanda?!"

Don kept his hands raised but turned his head to Charlie sharply, "You know her Chuck?"

"Amanda wha-what's going on?" They young mathematician looked a combination of terrified and confused. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take you away Charlie." Don and Allan turned to her, they moved so fast they could have given themselves whip lash. "I know you're scared that's why I was trying to move slow. When I was your TA last year I hit on you constantly but you never noticed. During break I realized if I really loved you I'd keep trying so I came up with a plan. I had to be more open with my love but try not to scare you off by being too open. The gifts were supposed to warm you up to the idea of us and show you how much I love you."

Charlie gulped, "But I- I don't understand. Why are you doing this? Why did you hit Don?"

Amanda's features contorted into fury. She waved the gun around, "I didn't mean to hit him. I was just-I've been leaving you those gifts but _Don_ always manages to mess it up. When I heard Larry and Amita say he wouldn't let you read it I snapped. You don't understand, I put so much time and love into it. I dedicated it to you." Allan began to move, drawing her attention, so Amanda whipped her hands around to point the gun at him again. "No! Don't move!"

Don tried to take charge of the situation, "Okay wait, it's fine no ones moving. Just take it slow and-" Suddenly his cell began to go off on the coffee table between the brothers and Amanda. The caller id read David. Don smiled internally. The elder Eppes brother had been texting them nonstop since he got out of the hospital for an update. He knew they would know something was wrong when he ignores the call.

"Who is it?" Amanda demanded an answer in the form of pointing the gun on Don.

"It's David. He's calling with an update about Charlie's stalker." Charlie was frantically looking between the phone and the other three occupants of the room hoping Don would pick it up.

"Turn it off!" The elder Eppes brother picked up the phone then turned it off. "Now toss it to your father." Don tossed the cell to his dad with a perplexed glance. Allan caught the phone with one hand, keeping the other raised, then waited for more instructions. "Now toss it into the other room." He tossed the phone out of the room.

"What do I do? What do I do? I'll have to rush now, they'll know something is up." The mentally unstable blonde turned her attention back to the Eppes. She gestured to the couch with her gun. "You! Join Don and Charlie behind the couch. Move fast!"

The oldest Eppes kept his hands raised, walked around the coffee table, and stood next to Don. The gun was turned on all three of them now with the only separation being the coffee table.

"Now uh, Don and Allan sit down on the couch and Charlie come over here." The young mathematician froze. "Now Charlie!"

He looked to Don and his father for help even though he knew they couldn't risk anything with the gun around. Don nodded solemnly for his younger brother to go over to Amanda. Charlie kept his hands raised as he walked around the coffee table to stand on Amanda's right. He yelped when she unexpectedly moved behind him and wrapped her left arm around his throat. His hands flew up automatically but Charlie froze instead of struggling due to a gun being pressed painfully into the side of his head with her finger dangerously close to the trigger. Don stood with a shout, hands still raised.

The blonde smiled, "Now Charlie, my love, you aren't going to struggle are you?" Her smiled turned into a frown. "I'll shoot you if I have to."

"Let him go." The elder brother growled.

"I can't we have to leave now. Our window is closing as it is and I won't let you mess this up for me again." The blonde woman began pulling Charlie back towards the entrance of the Eppes residence.

Don swiftly jumped over the coffee table to stop her. The woman just jammed the gun harder into the side of Charlie's head.

"Stop! Don't move! I'll kill him, I swear!"

Agent Eppes slowed but still continued to move. "No you won't. You said it yourself, you love him so I know you won't hurt him."

Don actually had no idea what this woman would do. It was painfully clear that Amanda is unstable but this is Charlie we're talking about. It's his little brother and even if he can only slow her down until help arrives he has to try.

"Yes I will! I've tried so hard to win his love and even though I didn't I still love him. I love him so so much that if I can't take him with me then he's never leaving."

Allan, who had moved from the couch with his armed raised after Don, and Charlie both lost what little color they had left. The curly haired young male still had his arms raised, gripping Amanda's left fore arm. He was desperately hopping someone from the FBI would show up before this psycho forced him to leave with her.

Amanda still had the gun pressed into his head. She began to back up with Charlie again after shocking the older two Eppes with her previous statement. The blonde young woman was just nearing the front door, she was taking the walk slowly in case they tried anything, when she noticed Allan's and Don's eyes shift from her and Charlie to behind them. She turned to her left so Charlie would remain in front as a shield. As they turned to face the door it was busted open with someone's foot. Colby and Megan burst through the entrance, guns raised. Amanda was panicking now. All her plans were falling apart and now she had to fight her way out.

"FBI! Let him go now!" Colby yelled as he aimed his gun at Amanda.

Megan also interjected, "Let him go! It's over!"

While the commotion was happening Don pulled his dad down the hall and pushed him out the back door. After he made sure his father was mostly out of the range of bullets, he went back for his gun. Agent Eppes' plan was to grab his gun then sneak up on Amanda from behind and force her to let Charlie go. Unfortunately, Amanda had shifted so she could keep her eye on other entrances around her. It made it harder to have a clear exit point but it also meant no one could sneak up on her.

Don joined his friends in trying to talk down the blonde, "Let him go Amanda! You and I both no there's no way you're walking out of this!"

Amanda began shaking but held the gun fairly steady, "Yes I am! Let me leave or I'll kill him! I'll do it!"

Suddenly Charlie had an idea. There was no other way out, Amanda's back was to the wall and there were no openings the FBI could take that wouldn't end up with him taking a bullet to the head. There was also no way Don would let her leave with him. The plan would work, as long as his older brother understands the message anyway.

"Wait!" When he saw he had everyone's attention he continued. "Amanda I'll leave with you just let me say one last thing to my brother." He turned his brown eyes to Don, hoping to convey something.

Amanda looked at him then at FBI agents with raised guns. If he wanted to go willingly maybe this could work. "Okay you have a minute then they're letting us leave. They have to now because you agreed."

Charlie nodded while the three FBI agents stared at him incredulously. "Okay." He took a deep breath and prayed Don would understand. "Don I'm sorry but I have to go with her. I just wished I had a chance to live out what you taught me in high school." At Don's confused look, he shifted his hands that were still latched onto Amanda's left forearm. When he saw a look registered in his elder brother's eyes he continued. "All I need is a chance Don and I'll be able to do what you taught me. Maybe I'll never get it because I'm leaving with Amanda."

Amanda jerked his neck back a little more. "Okay time's up. We're leaving. Now!"

There was a tense few seconds of silence before Don glanced at Megan and Colby then at the wall next to the blonde's head.

"Okay fine." Don began to lower his gun before quickly pulling it back up and shooting the wall directly beside Amanda's head. In his mind it would have been better to just shoot her but her finger was too close to the trigger to take such a risk. Seconds after he shot the wall two more shots followed near the same spot.

Amanda was shocked and froze, stunned at what just happened. The youngest Eppes took advantage of her distraction. He tightened his grip on her arm, pulled downward quickly, and rammed his elbow into her side while bent over. The escape maneuver was completed by sweeping his leg back into her left leg to knock her off balanced then pulling her weight over his shoulder. It would have worked better in a more open space but it did the job. The stalker and would be kidnapper was on her back in pain from hitting her head on the floor.

There were two guns pointed at her immediately while Don kicked her gun away. When the weapon was out of range he turned her over and Colby passed over a pair of handcuffs. The cuffs were made as tight as they could possibly be then Amanda was yanked off the ground and passed to Megan and Colby.

"Read her her rights guys. Call the local PD and make sure no one screws this up. This psycho is going to jail."

Colby and Megan nodded then informed Don the local PD were already there along with an ambulance. Megan had made the call on the way over to the Eppes house with instructions to keep the sirens off. They dragged Amanda out of the house kicking and screaming. Don turned to Charlie who was breathing heavily from the adrenaline. He walked over an wrapped his arm over his younger brother's shoulders. Then he lead Charlie out of the front door to the waiting ambulance to get checked out. Before the EMTs looked him over, Don wanted to make sure his brother was handling everything alright.

"Hey buddy, how are you doing?"

"Uh not that good Don. A woman I worked with one semester just tried to kidnap me and has been stalking me for God knows how long. And you know, when she was my TA I did notice her, um affections and I tried to tell her I wasn't interested without being mean," Charlie laughed weakly, "Guess she didn't get the message huh?"

Don nodded, "Yeah I guess not buddy. She won't be bothering you anymore though. We caught her just like I said we would and now she's going to jail for a long time. It's just about over now." He ruffled Charlie's hair.

The youngest Eppes shrugged lightly, "Despite everything that just happened it is awesome that we caught her."

His elder brother laughed softly, "Yeah it is awesome. You know what else was awesome? You were. I didn't know you still remembered those defense moves I taught you in high school."

Charlie smiled, "I practice them sometimes. Her grabbing me gave me a flashback of Billy. Remember him? He used to grab me around my neck until you taught me that move and I threw him to the floor one day."

Don laughed out loud at the memory of a little Charlie Eppes throwing a guy who was older than him to the floor in the middle of the school hallway. His laughter was contagious and soon Charlie was laughing with him. They were loud, causing Allan to hear them over the cops milling around and Amanda's yelling.

The oldest Eppes walked over to his sons to ask what was so funny. Don recounted the tale of what happened after Allan left the house. Then he reminded Allan of when he was called down to the school because Charlie had flipped a boy who had been bullying him. Soon they were all laughing and without the thought of the stalker looming in their minds. They would still have to go to trial and deal with the official closing of the case. Right then though, they were just living in the moment. Immensely glad the stalker was in custody and not worrying about what would happen in the future. No one was hurt, Amanda was caught and it was a finally time to relax and celebrate.


End file.
